Video of the Moment: "F#@*n' Up" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Boston - 11/26/12

A rowdy and ragged "Fuckin' Up" from Boston: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 11/26/12.

Thanks Tom over @ Reelife! Keep it reel man, forever.

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Tonight: More Epic Road Reports on Thrasher's Wheat Radio

Thrasher's Wheat Radio
Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST
Logo design by Geoff Moore - Silver Moon Graphics
Tonight, a special edition of Thrasher's Wheat Radio on WBKM.org.

Tune in tonight, Saturday at 9P EST to hear concert reports of Neil Young & Crazy Horse's 2012 Alchemy tour.

Downloadable podcasts for the Thrashers Wheat Radio Hour are available here. Tonight's edition will be uploaded in the near future.

Tune in, it'll be a groovy, far out trip.

enjoy!

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Photos, Video: Neil Young & Crazy Horse @ Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert, Atlantic City, 12/6/12
Photos by Frank M.
(Click photo to enlarge)
A no-frills, amps-only stage setting for last night's Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert in Atlantic City by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.


"Cinnamon Girl"

Thanks Frank!

More on Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert in Atlantic City.

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Neil Young: 'It's Time to Get Real on Carbon'

Neil Young
Photo credit: Danny Clinch
(Click photo to enlarge)
On the eve of Neil Young's Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert in Atlantic City, he has written an editorial on MPG regulations, saying they are insufficient for the challenges ahead.

From Why MPG Goals Are Flawed | huffingtonpost.com:

We must move away from high carbon fossil fuels now and we need laws that encourage and reward American ingenuity to do that.

The government must step away from the cozy relationships with oil producing companies and start to see the future of America is low carbon fuels and machines to use them. Our government is not addressing the needs of our planet by simply mandating that we use less gasoline.

It is clear that we are not going to be able to survive a constant barrage of "Sandy"-like global warming super storms. By the time we finish rebuilding from one there will be another and another. We need to address the cause with reasonable laws that encourage change and responsibility.

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Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Atlantic City, 12/6/12

Photos: Tonight's the Night: Neil Young, Trey Anastasio Sandy Benefit Concert at Borgata | Features | News & Views | Atlantic City Weekly

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Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Philadelphia, 11/29/12
Photo by thrasher
(Click photo to enlarge)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ.

Proceeds going to aid victims of Superstorm Sandy. Devastated by the damage and displacement caused by hurricane, Young urged: "Come on down here and join in the relief effort."

The event is billed as "A Special Evening With Neil Young & Crazy Horse."

Got a report? Drop us a comment below.

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and Chronological Grid, Recording Summary, Statistics and Extras.

Also, see Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012 Concert Tour Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.


Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Don't Be Denied!

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Concert Review and Video of the Moment: Bridgeport, CT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 12/4/12

"Fuckin' Up"
Bridgeport, CT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 12/4/12
The Video of the Moment is a rather remarkable version of "Fuckin' Up". In particular, note in the first 30 seconds or so that Neil goes down on his knees than back while playing. What a fuck up?!

Concert Review of the Moment is from Bridgeport, CT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 12/4/12 by The Zuma Band:

We were on the floor this time after sitting in Boston last week. GA is the place. If anything, the overall audience was an even greater age mix. Seemed to be a full range from 20s to 30s to 40s to 50s and over on the floor. I was dead center, perhaps 30 feet back. Toward the end there was a lot of pogo-ing, from what were clearly much younger people, and I think that's something the boys on stage were clearly aware of and getting off on it. No gentle toe tapping, for sure. Their mood, if anything was possibly even a bit more buoyant than Boston. Lots of smiles, lots of mugging and gesturing. During the wild extended "F@#kin' UP" NY pointed to someone, said "You're a f@$k up!" and mocked and pantomimed their smartphone use. His getting on his knees and then prone on the floor was even more pronounced and theatrical.

Something the band did (at the end of "Hey Hey"?) that I didn't notice at Boston was a chest thumping monkey/ape "ooga ooga" thing that the crowd picked up and repeated back. Pretty funny...did they do this anywhere else? Should become a tradition...

Lots of rhythmic audience clapping during "Ramada Inn." I detected a slight shift in Ralph's beat- almost a subtle bosa nova thing, which I think is what really gets the clapping going. The audience knows this song now- I hope it enters the canon, as it has such a great and deep groove. The other thing is, it is perfectly timed. It is neither too long nor too short. It has a distinct arc of lyrical segments set between the melodic guitar work. This isn't jamming; it is a deliberate, distinct structure with room for improvisation, but contained within its boundaries.

All thoughout the performance I scanned the crowd in the entire arena. I did not see any unusual exodus after the new and longer songs or at any other time; just the usual movement in and out of a venue that size. The place was certainly packed all over, and there was a lot of dancing up in the stands as well as on the floor. Total arena standing ovation at the end, and even greater noise for an encore than in Boston.

BTW, getting to parking at Webster arena is f#@ked up. We arrived with plenty of time, but had to crawl the last few blocks. The cop said that it was a chronic problem. They f@$ked up the planning.

ps ,
I beg to differ with jocar. As a guitarist I pay close attention to NY's playing. He will use riffs to anchor a song, along with the chord structure, but all the other melodic passages are unique within each song, as well as from song to song. He will do similar things, but not the same thing. "Ramada Inn" is a perfect example of this. I think it is a textbook example of how he spins complexity out of simplicity as he will builds the song at different places on the fretboard and through his varied strummming and picking techniques. At the sonic complexities of the different effects combinations he hits and you get a very rich mixture.

I'd agree that I've heard better acoustics, but I blame that on the arena. For instance, Patti Smith's vocals were set too low in the mix. OTOH I thought Neil's vocals were OK, but his guitar was mixed a bit too low. I think in barns like that place the best sound would be back near the soundboard and the worst is probably in the seats along the sides- too much bounced sound and not enough balance.

Thanks The Zuma Band! Great review. Glad you guys got a good show. That version of "F@#kin' Up" is pretty f@#k' up, if we do say so ourselves. But it feels so good!

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Photo by Kelly Jensen Photography
(Click photo to enlarge)

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Neil Young Down in SoHo at the Morrison Hotel Gallery

Neil Young
The Morrison Hotel Gallery
(Click photo to enlarge)
On Monday, December 3rd, Neil Young, the inspiration for Jenice Heo's Neil Young Series, came to The Morrison Hotel Gallery in Soho to see the exhibit.

Neil is standing in front of some of Jenice's creations that were inspired by his music. These four pieces, are the progression from first to final, left to right. The final one being the Grammy award-winning cover for the Neil Young Archives Vol. I box set.

The four pieces pictured are part of 17 paintings in the exhibition. The exhibit will be up at The Morrison Hotel Gallery until 12/31. The gallery is located at 124 Prince Street in Soho. Jenice, the fine art painter and Grammy award-winning art director, and her husband Gary Burden and Neil Young designed the Neil Young Archives box set. All three won Grammy Awards for best package.

High res images of exhibit are available upon request.

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Bridgeport, CT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 12/4/12

Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Bridgeport, CT – Webster Bank at Harbor Yard.

Doors at 6:30, Everest at 7:30, Patti Smith at 8:05 and Neil Young at 9pm.

Got a report? Drop us a comment below.

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and Chronological Grid, Recording Summary, Statistics and Extras.

Also, see Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012 Concert Tour Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.


Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Don't Be Denied!

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Tour Videos, Photos, Interviews w/ Neil Young

Neil Young - Hey Hey, My My @ Brooklyn - 12/3/12

Neil Young with Pierre - MMaRchives Blog | MMaRchives | Blog | 93.3 WMMR: Everything That Rocks

From Neil Young, Hurricane Sandy Benefit Q&A: Pay Attention to Victims, Not Kardashians - Spinner:

Back to the concert, why did you decide to do your own show instead of joining up with that all-star benefit at Madison Square Garden?

Neil Young: Well, the all-star lineup is great. It's fantastic. But whether I was part of it or not wouldn't have made any difference at all other than to just somebody's recognition of somebody. It wouldn't have made any difference in the amount of money. The idea is to raise money. That's what it is. That's the idea. So by doing my own thing and letting the star-studded lineup at the Garden do their own thing, I'm creating more, creating more on the outside in the grassroots way. We're going right down where some of the damage was, close to it so you can drive around and see it when you go down there and understand really what it is that we're doing and trying to fight and trying to clean up and who we're trying to help. These are real people -- this isn't a television show. There's nothing wrong with the television show but I'm personally not crazy about television shows. I'd rather see people there and talk to people like you and talk to other people and bring awareness to it in other ways. We need to get footage of what it looks like today on television instead of the Kardashians. [Editor's note: Neil pronounced this Kar-day-shians, which is awesome]

"Farmer John"
Los Lobos & Neil Young
Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada - 2012-11-20
Photo from Los Lobos | Facebook
(Click photo to enlarge)

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Patti Smith Covers "It's a Dream" @ Patriot Center, Fairfax, Va

Patti Smith covers "It's a Dream" @ Patriot Center, Fairfax, Va on 11/30/12.

This goes out to Mr. Henry! Be sure to arrive in time for opening acts. We think Patti might have picked up some new fans on this tour. ;)

Patti Smith
Philadelphia, 11/29/12
Photo by thrasher
(Click photos to enlarge)
More on Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews in Fairfax, VA.

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Brooklyn: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 12/3/12

Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York.

Doors at 6:30, Everest at 7:30, Patti Smith at 8:05 and Neil Young at 9pm.

Got a report? Drop us a comment below.

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and Chronological Grid, Recording Summary, Statistics and Extras.

Also, see Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012 Concert Tour Reviews and the right, middle sidebar for continuous real time RSS feed updates.


Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Don't Be Denied!

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Free Ticket to Bridgeport, CT Neil Young Concert

UPDATE: Ticket winner now selected. Thanks to all and have fun tonight!

Thanks to an extremely generous reader of Thrasher's Wheat, we are making available one free ticket to tomorrow night's Neil Young concert in Bridgeport, CT.

Sorry on late notice, but here's what you need to do if interested.

Send us a brief note on why you find this offer attractive and promise us that you'll report back on the evening.

Send your entry to thrasher@thrasherswheat.org ASAP. You *MUST* include a phone number you can be reached at tomorrow at Noon.

The first entry we get that the offeror feels is deserving, will be promptly notified with instructions on picking up the ticket.

This ticket is for a seat and is not GA.

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On The Rail: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concerts - Philadelphia, PA & Fairfax, VA

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Philadelphia, 11/29/12
Photos by thrasher & thrashette
(Click photos to enlarge)
We're still just recovering from seeing Neil Young & Crazy Horse's 2012 Alchemy tour in Philadelphia, 11/29/12 and Fairfax, VA, 11/30/12. Trying to put into words and pictures what we experienced is often quite impossible to describe -- words fail -- even when one is literally riding the rail in all of its splendid, ragged glory.

Read the reviews.
Check the blogs.
Watch the YouTubes.
Follow the tweets.

Chat with those attending and the range of impressions of the concerts is nearly staggering. All the way from the best concert of a lifetime to the worst, depending on the setlist to the stage props to the venue's volume/acoustics and pretty much everything in between, needless to say that the universal consensus is that the tour must be doing something right in order to both thrill and piss off so many, to such extremes.

Like we sometimes say -- either you "get" Neil or you don't.

The twisted road has been a groovy psychedelic trip that at times has transcended into something so raw, so sublime, so primal, that one felt literally transported to another dimension in what Neil called his "analog time machine".

Neil Young sums up the situation with a mini rant just before launching into "Cinnamon Girl" by cursing "the doubters" and dedicating the song to "the believers."

Personally, we have seen Neil Young & Crazy Horse in the 1970's, 80's, 90's, 00's, and now 10's. For five decades now we have ridden that crazy horse, galloped along the rail,  smelled the force of the Horse and it has never been such an emotionally satisfying ride. Neil, Poncho, Billy and Ralph have all hit their strides as the tour draws to a conclusion across the North American megalopolis leg from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, PA and Washington/Fairfax.

"I sing this song because I love the man
I know that some of you don't understand"

The Philadelphia and Fairfax concerts were our fourth and fifth occasions to catch Neil & The Horse this Fall for which we feel fortunate, grateful, lucky, honored, and blessed. As has been the pattern over the the years, the concerts continue to improve, tighten, focus, and transcend as the tour moves from town to town towards conclusion.

As we noted in our earlier posting Thoughts & Memories on Alchemy Tour (Cleveland and Pittsburgh), the band has fully gelled into a wondrous blitzkrieg spectacle of howling, stomping feedback in "Walk Like A Giant", beautifully gentle pin drop acoustic of "Needle and the Damage Done", the anarchy garage punk of "Fuckin Up", and the triumphantly anthemic power of "Hey Hey My My".

"Ramada Inn" continues to just totally devastate and reduce grown men and women to veritable tears. Will the song "Ramada Inn" have the staying power to be a forever Neil classic? Yes, we think so. It just that good.

"He loves her so.
He does what he needs to.
She loves him so.
She does what she needs to."

When Neil and the Boys bring us into their intimate huddles on center stage, its as if we're sucked into the vortex's zone with them. At this point, its as if there is nothing in the existing universe other than the vibe, music and love that is pouring off the stage in torrents. Time stands still. Completely.

The legendary promoter Bill Graham once called Crazy Horse "the 3rd Best Garage Band in the World". To which we say simply, these guys are the North American Rolling Stones. Period.

Let us just say that  Crazy Horse's 2012 Alchemy tour, the final chapter of the Rust Trilogy, is for the ages.  Our first experience was with Rust Never Sleeps in 1978, and continued with Weld in 1990, now these shows.  While many things have changed indeed, the song still remains the same. As Neil has said: "Alchemy, like Rust and Weld, finds the boys at another stage of life's journey. Time has taken its toll, yet the spirit seems unstoppable."

It is magical brilliance that has brought us to this point. And we see very, very few signs that there is anything less than years ahead of us all of being on that never ending road where the music and love never stops. He definitely still hears the Muse and sees the Vista. And that makes us very happy.

peace, love and only love to all of our dear friends around the world,
thrasher & thrashette

ps - As we noted earlier, Arkansas Girls (HEART) Crazy Horse. And now, after the Fairfax concert, we have confirmation that Crazy Horse and Neil indeed do love Arkansas Girls. We'll have more of this extraordinary roadtrip tale in the near future. In the meantime, you can listen to us rave on about this on this week's Thrasher's Wheat Radio Hour Epic Road Reports Edition.

"It's a dream
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
It's only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay"
Patti Smith

"People Have The Power"
(Dedicated to Neil's Old Black Guitar)

Patti Smith's setlist

The Philly rustie rail crew "With a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail..."

More photos on ThrashersWheatNeverSleeps | Facebook

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Review of the Moment: Philadelphia: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 11/29/12

Like a Hurricane - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Nov 29, 2012 - Philadelphia, PA
The challenge of the day: If anyone can adequately describe what Billy Talbot on bass is doing at the conclusion of Hurricane, we'll make it a comment of the moment.

Guaranteed.

In the meanwhile, for your perusing pleasure, the Review of the Moment is from Philadelphia: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 11/29/12 by GloryBee:

Alchemy doesn’t begin to describe the ferocious, blood-on-the-floor, all-in delivery of turning guitar metal into gold at last night’s concert in Philly.

30% mad scientist, 100% brilliant, Neil milked every note, every chord, and every other conceivable sound out of Old Black - along with steady backup from Crazy Horse - attacking every song with a passion and intensity few at any age can deliver. Some songs were pure joy (Ramada Inn, Hey Hey My My, Like A Hurricane, and Mr. Soul) some were over the top (Walk Like a Giant and F##kin’ Up), yet all were mesmerizing for all of us who love pure, driving, straight-to-the-heart rock and roll.

Would have liked to see a longer acoustic segment – Needle and the Damage Done was delivered with gut wrenching perfection, while Singer without a Song was the weak link of the show (nice piano but tedious lyrics, accompanied by a woman with a guitar case strolling awkwardly around the stage looking lost and confused). Neil’s’ new found sobriety serves him well - he thanked the crowd, acknowledged Philly, smiled a lot by his standards, and had the energy of a man in his 20’s.

The boomer generation may have fallen short of creating the loving and peaceful world that the young Neil Young envisioned (and wistfully alludes to in Walk Like a Giant), but no one, not even Dylan or Springsteen, has channeled our generation’s thoughts, feelings and life experiences with more emotional impact than Neil.

More on Philadelphia: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Reviews - 11/29/12.

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